Betrayal
by chicadoodle
Summary: When Naraku succeeds in turning Kagome & CO against Inuyasha, he turns to the only person he has left. Sesshomaru. NOT SESSINU! INUKAGOME INUKIKYO RINKOHAKU
1. Chapter 1

I know, I know, I should complete my other fanfictions before submitting another. However, this one has been sitting around for a while now, so I thought i 'd add it up. Toodles, and remember to review!

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Inuyasha watched, through tear-fille eyes, as Sesshmaru slowly approached him. He made no move to flee, to speak out harsh words against the full demon, or even to draw his sword. Instead he simply stood there, waiting to see what his half-brother would choose to do.

Sesshomaru stared into the golden eyes of his half-broher -- eyes bright with unshed tears that had yet to be allowed to fall. It was not the tears, however, that concerned him the most, but the look that lay beyond them. The pure hatred, the defeat ... and the betrayal.

He'd seen that look before -- but only once before. And then, it had almost cost the half-demon his life.

"You don't haveto tell this Sesshomaru what happened. But you do have to understand that nothing has changed. If you return home with me, things will be exactly as they were when you left. Do you understand?"

Inuyasha merely nodded, closing his eyes and squeesing them tightly shut against the fresh onslaught of tears that threatened to overwhelm him.

Sesshomaru allowed a small smile to grace his lips, reaching forward to tuck a wayward strand of white hair back over his half-brother's broad shoulder.

Stepping back, away from the half-demon, Sesshomaru held out his hand, murmuring a soft "Come," and waiting to see if Inuyasha was actually serious about this; about returning home with him.

Inuyasha never even opened his eyes, merely reached out blindly to where he could sense his brother's hand rested, taking it in his own, broader one.

Sesshomaru watched as his younger brother slept, a frown marring his usually perfect features. His mind kept playing over the previous night, and still he couldn't make any sense of it.

Inuyasha had come home -- to the place where he had been born and raised, knowing fully well that his place here had not changed. He was a half-breed, bastard son of a great and noble demon line. He was to be seen and not heard by other demons that came to call, for his opinion mattered naught to them.

But he commanded power, even as those demons were loath to admit it. If Sesshomaru ever became unable to rule, Inuyasha would do so in his place, for however long was necessary. In human terms, he was the prince whom nobody liked to think about, much less talk about.

While no disrespect had ever been shown to him, Inuyasha had known what was thought -- he was seen as a weak and coddled half-breed, undeserving of the position he held. And so he had left.

So why had he suddenly returned? Why had he suddenly, radically changed his mind? What could POSSIBLY have done that? He had renounced his heritage, sworn never again to return to his home, or to ever show his brother and the rest of his kin any kind of love or gratitude. He had dishonored his entire family, and for that, Sesshomaru had sworn that he could never forgive him.

Biting back the sigh that rose to his lips, Sesshomaru rose to his feet, grazing his hand over Inuyasha's pure white hair once last time, befor exiting the toom.

Inuyasha was instantly awake, going from deep sleep to wide awake in a matter of seconds, all manner of grogginess gone.

He was doing that a lot lately -- not allowing himself the luxury of safe sleep, instead always on high alert, instantly aware of his surroundings the moment that he awoke.

Sighing softly, Inuyasha pushed himself into a sitting position, corssing his legs so that he was sitting in a position that Kagome had once labelled "indian style".

Pushing away the pain that the very thought of her name invoked, Inuyasha glanced around the room, and couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips as he recognised his surroundings for what they were. His old room.

Everything was exactly as he remembered it, down to the blood stain on the far wall, when his training with Sesshomaru had gotten a bit ... rough, to say the last.

Chuckling softly to himself, Inuyasha slid off the be and onto his feet, stretching his arms wide out away from his body, arching his back in a vain attept to ease out all of the kinks and tighness that always seemed to exist in his body. All of the tension.

Heaving another sight, this time of frustration, Inuyasha quickly strode to the door, only to stop several feet shy of it, as the door suddenly swung violently open to reveal a red-faced human child. A girl, to be exact.

Inuyasha blinked, staring down at the surprised face of the little girl, before shrugging his shoulders and stepping around her, out of the room. She obviously belonged here, or she never would have made it this deep into the castle. What Sesshomaru was doing with a human child in his care, he didn't know. And he didn't much care either, really.

If Kagome were here, she would most likely be going on and on about they had to "save that poor child" from his "evil brother". But Kagome wasn't here, and she wasn't GOING to be here any time soon, either.

It was nice, finially being able to let go, and be himself. Yes, he couldn't condone the useless slaughter of innocents ... but what was a human child or two, as long as there was just cause?

Inuyasha stared at himself in the bathing room mirror, tracing his fingers along one nasty scar that traaced across his stomach, tilting his head to the side.

Similar scars were littered at random places across his body, always carefully concealed with a small amount of demonic energy. He'd learned how to make small changes to his appearance as a child, to hide his injuries from his relatives. Were he ever to be harmed, they would take immediate action -- but it had only served to worsen the situation, causing more bruises to be littered across his body from the various beatings he'd recieve from the humans of not only the villiage surrounding the castle, but also the servants of the castle itself.

So he'd learned how to conceal them, and had carried that lesson over to his dealing with Kagome.

Not that it really mattered anymore. Sesshomaru couldn't do anything to retaliate against those who had inflicted these injuries, and he really didn't care to hide them anymore. It didn't seem important anymore.

Sighing heavily, Inuyasha reached for the deep blue outfit that Sesshomaru had left out for him, fingering the fabric with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He'd missed this -- missed the finer things that he'd always taken for granted as a child.

Quickly shrugging into the outfit -- simple as all his previous ones to get into -- Inuyasha quickly made his way toward the dining hall, pointedly ignoring the glare he recieved from Jaken. While he actually could treach the little toad a lesson or two about respecting him, for some reason even that, too, seemed to be off little importance anymore..

Who cared if the toad respected him or not? He woud do was he was told and not talk back -- that he knew from experience. Did any of it really matter anymore? It had once, not too long ago. It had once seemed to be one of the most important things int he world to him. Now, however ...

Biting back the sigh that rose to his lips, Inuyasha continued in the direction of the Dining Hall, knowing fully well that Sesshomaru would be waiting for him, waiting for an explanation about his actions. Thse conflicting thoughts and emotions wouldn't do anything to help him -- it would only make his stay here all the more painful.

This was the only place that he had left. Kagome, Sango, Mirouku, even little Shippou -- they had all turned their backs on him, so eager to believe the lies that they had been fed. Oh, he had no doubt that Naraku's illusion had been quite believable in every shape and form ... but surely they shoul dhave known him better than that? surely theyshould have known that he would never betray them in such a way.  
Naraku. It always came down to Naraku. The damned half-breed was the source of nearly all of his misery, first taking away his first love, and now turning the only true friends he had ever had against him.

But what could he do against such awesome power? Did he even have a chance when put up against ... that? Oh, he had no doubt that it was the right thing to do ... but had it all really been worth it? Worth losing Sango, Mirouku, Shipphou ... and Kagome. ?Especially Kagome.

She was the first person outside of his family who had truly seen him in a very, very long time. Kikyou had come close, but she'd never been able to break past the mask he showed to the world. They just hadn't had enough time togeather.

But Kagome ... theold fear that he always been so used to just wasn't here, with her. She would yell at him, scream at him, reprimand him, "sit" him, and never fear about what he would do her in return. She had trust him, not only with her life but with that of her family, as well. And in return, he had found himself trusting her, as well. Depending on her, almost needing her.

She was the one thing that he had always known he couldn't stand losing. Kagome's death haed always been in the forefront of his mind, haunting both his waking and sleeping hours. And now, those nightmares had finially come true.

Had any of it really been worth it?


	2. Chapter 2

Sesshomaru ran his fingers through his half-brother's thick white hair, smiling softly down at the half-demon's bowed head.

It had been a long time since he'd seen Inuyasha like this -- so anxious to please, desperate for his attnetion, his affection. Ever since --

But no. Best not to think about that.

Naraky would pay. But more than that, KAGOME would hurt. Half-demon or not, NOBODY hurt his brother. Except for him ... but that was different.

And this woman ... what good were her sacred powers if she couldn't even discern truth from lies? She merely provided more fuel for his hatred of all things human.

And yet, Inuyasha still cared deeply for her, still wished to keep her safe. She didn't deserve his selfless love -- not now, not ever.

Leaning forward slightly, Sesshomaru tilted Inuyasha's chin so that they were looking directly into each other's eyes.

No words were said. None were need. Among the higher classes of demon families, a bond is formed between mother and child ... and sibling to sibling. It was through that bond, now, that he sent all of his love, forgiveness, and understanding.

Inuyasha smiled gratefully before allowing his head to drop back down, silent sobs wracking his body.

Inuyasha had always been so dependant on him; it was why his leaving had come as such a shock. How could his little brother survive without him? But he had. The next time they had met, it had been as if all those years together had meant nothing, as if they meant nothing to each other. And so, Sesshomaru had responded in kind, throwing one insult after another at his once-fragile brother.

But here was that old dependence once again, shining through in his greatest hour of need.

Sesshomaru allowed a small, gentle smile to curve his lips, eyes slowly sliding closed as he once again ran his fingers through the silken strands of his brother's hair.


	3. Chapter 3

Sesshomaru frowned as Inuyasha pulled away from him, head turned to the side to hide his now tear-streaked face from the view of his older brother.

It shouldn't be like this -- Inuyasha shouldn't be turning away from him, not now, not ever. But as much as he would like to pretend that nothing had changed, that they could go back to the way they had once been ... the reality was that they coudn't. That nothing was the same, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted it to be.

They weren't the same people they had once been -- not only Inuyasha, but he himself had changed, as well, discovering just how much he depended on his younger brother in matters of the heart and inner strength. He had been forced to grow up, to learn to live without a crutch that many would have called a weakness. He had become cold, closed off from the outside world and those who could harm him.

He was afraid -- afraid to open up again, afraid tot ake the chance that Inuyasha would once again hurt him, just like he had all those years ago.

But it hadn't been very long for Inuyasha, had it? Suspended in time for 50 years, those decades had flown by in an instant, and in a blink of an eye, he had been freed from his torment and imprisonment, as if only moments had passed. Not even two years had passed since he had left home, since he had abandoned his brother. It had taken Sesshomaru nearly 10 yeas to finially believe that his younger brother was never comming home -- before that time, he would have welcomed the white-haired half demon home, if not with open arms than with something akin to it.

So much had happened for him, and yet so little for Inuyasha.

Inuyahs apulled himself to his feet, turning away from his older brother to stare unseeing at the oppossite wall, trying frantically to compose himself, to save whatever dignity he might have had left. Sesshomaru merely sighed, leaning back in his seat to watch his younger brother, rubbing a hand across his smooth, pale chin.

Inuyasha let loose a heavy breath, drawing himself up tall and squaring his shoulders, before turning to face his brother.

His eyes gave him away, however, a world of pain hiding behind the golden orbs. Just looking into those eyes made Sesshomaru's gut twist, his heart harden with anger.

Whoever had done this to his younger brother, would pay. They would pay dearly.

And the first one would be the priestess, the girl to whom Inuyasha had given so much of his heart.

Kagome.

(----) (----)

Deep in her heart, Kagome still had trouble believing that this was really happening -- that Inuyasha had really and truly betrayed them, opting to steal her Shikon Jewel fragments, rather than continue their quest togeather. He had tried to kill her! And then had the audacity to come waltzing back in here, acting as if nothing had happened ...!

Kagome was not a gentle, forgiving person. When you angered her, you angered her for a very long time. She had a short fuse, and it took her a long time to get over her true anger. This was a known fact -- she had argued with Inuyasha enough times, and stayed mad at him for days at a time.

This was different, though. This wasn't about Inuyasha not wanting her to return home, or about his not understanding basic human courtesy and manners. This was a betrayal of the worst kind, and she doubted that she would EVER forgive him, no matter what circumstances the future might hold.

(----) (----)

Inuyasha stood stiffly in front ofhis brother, forcing his breathing to become calm and even as he stared at the wall behind his half brother. He had to stop breaking down like this.

"The servants have already bee informed of your return. I have some work to do -- spar with me afterwards?"

Inuyasha grinned at his brother's words, nodding his head sharply in confirmation. That was one thing t h at he hadmissed -- their training sessions, always trying to outdo one another in combat, without the use of their demonic abilities. No transformations, no powers, no special attacks passed down by their father or other other demonic relatives. Only their strength, reflexes, and battle smarts.

He had loved it as a child, and later as a teenager, and he was certain that he would love it now. Dipping down in a small bow, Inuyasha swept from the room, pasuing when the door had closed behind himself to gather his bearings, before heding off in the direction of the kitchen.

He was hungry. Hell, that didn't even begin to describe the gnawing pain in his stomach -- go for so long without food or nourishmment, and pain was almost a given, even for a demon. And he wasn't even a full demon -- his mother's weaknesses still assailed his body, making him so much weaker tha his older brother.

But he wasn't completely weak, now was he? Not only did he have the Tetsuiga, but his own strenth had been steadily incresting, ever since he had first met Kagome. And recently, even when she wasn't there he had been able to hold his own much better than in the past. He was stronger, now. Maybe not as strong as Sesshomaru, but strong nonetheless.

And yet, here he was back at square one. Did that strength really matter, anymore? His drive for acceptance, his quest for strength ... all that it had ever brought him was heartache and despair, a trailof broken relationships and pieces of his heart shattered upon the ground. Was it really worth it?

Watching as his brother swept from the room, Inuyasha loosed a soft sight -- he knew that his brother heard it, but hoped that the full demon wouldn't return to speak of it. He could see the concern in those silver eyes, shining through his stern features as Sesshomaru had stared at his younger brother. It had been there, albeit faint. Some things never changed.

Sesshomaru had never truly tried to kill him. Before, it had irked him that his brother had held back so much, even as he gave it his all, attempting again and again to beat his brother back in their increasing fights. To any outsider, it would appear that Sesshomaru was simply unlucky, or perhaps not as strong as he boasted to be, being beaten by his younger half-breed brother. But Inuyasha knew the truth.

Sesshomaru didn't try hard enough. He didn't come in for killing blows, didn't put all of his strength and skill behind those blows that he DID land. He cared too much, even after all these years. Before, it had annoyed him, this protectiveness. Now, it just seemed kind of cute.

Pushing himself up to his feet, Inuyasha stared around the room for a moment, before his eyes landed on the table still laden with food. Earlier, he hadn't been able tokeep anything down, so filled with anguish over the loss of Kagome -- and, to a smaller degree, his human friends.

Now, he felt as if he would drop then and there if he didn't get some food in to him -- and fast. 


	4. Chapter 4

Inuyasha leaned back in to the pillows sprawled out across the floor, staring in consternation at his older brother. 

They had been sparring for more than 5 hours now -- fora human, that would have meant it was almost time to stop. For demons, however, that meant that they were only now getting warmed up.

Pillows were s prawled out across the floor surrounding their training circle, so that should he be thrown back -- as had just happened -- he wouldn't be harmed overly much, and could spring back up to his feet. That had happened repeatedly over the past couple of hours.

Now, he simply reclined in the pillows, watching as his brother slowly smiled and began a fluid series of motions, meant to cool down the demonic blood now boiling for a fright, and to work off any excess tension that may have existed.

Never become angry, or tense, or frightened, durring a battle. Battle was not mean tto be governed by emotions -- it was survival, plain and simple. That was what Sesshomaru had always taught him. Strength was everything, and emotions were to be held within, let out only on the most rare of occassions.

He'd let Kagome in. He'd let her see him, he'd let her see his EMOTIONS on a daily basis. True, many times that emotion had been anger, but thee were others that she had seen, as well. Sadness. Love, And now, she truly believed that he would turn on her? Turn his back on one of the only women he had ever cared about enough to share those precious things with?

She didn't understand. She lived in a world, and a time, when people shared themselves so freely, when you didn't have to fight everyd ay just to survive , when the smallest mistake could cost you your life. Even after living so long here, with their merry little band, she still didn't understand. He doubted that she ever would.

Maybe Sesshomaru was right. Maybe you couldn't share yourself like that, at least not here and now. Maybe, even with those you loved and cared about, you still had to be careful, still had to guard yourself from being hurt.

Sesshomaru had been hurt, once. He didn't know much about it, only that it had been a half-demon woman who had hurt him deeply -- thus spawning his hatred of all things human. He had insisted that it had been her human side, that had caused her to act the way that she had. That was when he would still talk about her -- he wouldn't even do that, not anymore.

Not that he had even spoken of her to Inuyasha -- they'd never really talked when they were younger. More like avoided each other like the black plague, until their father had died and Sesshomaru had been forced to take a more active role in Inuyasha' life.

Closing his eyes, Inuyasha let loose a soft sigh, wincing slightly as he heard his brother's movements slow to a halt, aware of the penetrating gaze now boring a hole in his head.

Sesshomaru frowned darkly, continuing to stare at his younger brother for a moment or two before sliding down to take a place on the pillows beside the younger half-demon. He slid his hand through thick, coarse white hair, pulling the half-demon toward him in a comfortable embrace.

They didn't talk -- they still didn't do a lot of that, truth be told. But now, words weren't needed, as Sesshomaru allowed this contact that was usually held away, reserved for only the most dire of circumstances.

Apparently, this counted. He wasn's ure if that was a good thin g-- the comfort DID feel nice -- or a bad thing -- things had to be truly bad in order for his brother to show physical affection.

---- ----

Sesshomaru smirked slightly as Inuyasha leaned in to his touch, turning to stare down at that white head, the smirk fading and his eyes turning serious.

That girl's betrayal had touched Inuyasha deeply -- deeper than he would have expected, from such a small girl. It shouldn't be hurting him quite that much, no matter what he might had felt for the girl. He could smell that sadness, wafting off the half-demon in waves as he sat there.

Usually, Sesshomaru was not one to endure any sort of elf-pity, either directed at himself or the people around him. But this wasn't exactly self-pity, now was it? This was Inuyasha ... mourning, almost, as if something great and precious to him had died.

Had the girl truly meant that much to him? Or was it just the whole circumstances? Twice, he had been betrayed by those he was closest to, twice he had lost a love of his heart, and twice it had been because of Naraku. Kagome and Kikyou.

It was almost like he was fated to be alone.

And if Sesshomaru could see all this, he could only assume that Inuyasha had, as well. He wasn't as supid as he made himself out to be -- just a bit slow when it came to matters of the world. He just didn't use his head enough -- get him to actually think before taking action, and you found that Inuyasha was actually quite intelligent.

Sesshomaru dropped a soft kiss on to his brother's head, resting his cheek on the coarse strands.

That was another thing about Inuyasha -- he never really had taken much pride in his appearance. Not caring for the opinions of others was one thingi -- albeit a sometimes dangerous habit. But it was almost like he didn't want to be clean, didn't think he was worthy of the finery that Sesshomaru took for granted.

There were some out there who would agree with this line of thinking, and for a long time Sesshomaru had been one of them ... until he had been forced to watch after his brother, the half-breed that he was. But things were different now. He was different.

Oh, he still hated humans as a species. But every once in a while ... there was a special one. Like Rin, and Inuyasha. Every once in a while, some one came a long who made the species seem worthwhile, who stopped him just short of going off on a genocidal rampage.

They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, resting comfortably upon the soft pillows, until the sound of footsteps reached his ears, and Sesshomaru forced himself to rise to his feet, leaving the warmth of his younger brother's body for another ti me. He glanced over his shoulder as he straightened his clothes, however, and found Inuyasha smiling up at him, eyes heavy lidded and sleepy.

He returned the smile with one of his own, before turning on his heel and sweeping out to meet whoever had been about tointrude on his anctuary.

---- ----

Sesshomaru flung the useless human to the side, growling softly at his choice of servants. Of all the times for that useless wench to show up ...

Kikyou stood just outside of the gates, her spirit orbs floating around her restlessly. They had always brought a chill to his spine, although he would never admit that to her. He had a hard enough time admitting it to himself.

Face a cool mask of indifference, Sesshomaru made his way across the expansive lawn, eyes narrowing as he drew closer. Kikyou stood alone, as always, besides her ever-present spirit companions, floating eerily about her.

Her visits were few and far between, and always a secret. Usually, she came in the dead of night -- something im portant must have happened for her to risk so much, comming here in the middle of the day like this.

Inuyasha and his merry little gorup had waged a battle against Naraku out in theopen. His battle was ... slightly more discreet. His was one of subtleties, and knowledge.

Stopping before the resurrected priestess, Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow in question, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He found himself faltering, however, a frown passing over his face at her next words.

"We have a problem."

Kikyou didn't exactly hate Inuyasha -- not anymore. Oh, she certaintly didn't feel any kind of affection for him, and there was a certain amount of animosity she felt toward him, but that was more from the magics that held her to this world than anything else.

She hadn't been lying when she had told him that she could never forgive him, as long as she remained on this plane. It was the truth, both now and forever. The magics that held her here would not let her forgive the man she had died hating, had spent the last breaths of her life killing.

But her mind knew better than her heart, for once. Her heart had been captured by magics beyond her control, forcing upon her a hate that should not have rightfully existed there -- and she knew it. So she tempered herself, reminded herself in times of trouble that Inuyasha was not the one whom she should truly hate. Naraku was.

And now Naraku had done the unthinkable -- he had turned Unuyasha lady on him for the second time. The first time it had been her, convinced that he wished only for power and full demonic status. Now, it was her reincarnation from another time, Kagome.

Perhaps if he had stopped there, she could have simply settled for feeling sorry for the half-demon she had once loved. But this was too important, especially as it concerned their plans. Inuyasha had to fight Naraku -- all of their plans were obsolete if Inuyasha himself became obsolete.

---- ----

Sesshomaru watched silently as Kikyou took a seat, praying silently to whomever might be listening that Inuyasha did not discover this meeting, that he did not discover that Kikyou had ever been here at all, on any occassion. The last thing his younger brother needed right now was more information about Naraku -- the source of all his grief.

He knew better than to ask questions -- Kikyou would simply give him one of her stares, and would only speak when she wanted to, and about what she deemed worthy. So, he waited.

He didn't have very long to wait.

"Naraku has hurt your brother. We are both aware of this, no?" Sesshomaru started in surprise, unable to keep the surprise off his face, or from showing in his movements. Kikyou knew Inuyasha?

Kikyou's lips curled in to a small smile, and she nodded her head. "Yes, I know your younger brother, Sesshomaru. I also know that he is here with you, is he not? He spoke often of his home, durring our time togeather. There is som ething you need to know."

Here Kikyou hesitated, glancing away and biting down on her bottom lip, the first sign of weakness she had shown since her arrival here. When she glanced back up at her demonic companion, there was a glistening of tears upon her cheeks.

Sesshomaru slowly took a seat next tot his priestess companion, eyes narrowed in concern as he waited for her to continue, now truly worried. Before, he had thought he was dealing with Naraku planning mor emovements, or perhaps gaining new allies that would pose a threat to their plans. Now, he was dealing with a direct threrat to his younger brother. And that worried him -- especially now, when Inuyasha was at his weakest.

"I don't know how to counter what he has done to your brother, Sesshomaru. I don't know how to help Inuyasha, even if he would allow me. This magick ... it is beyond me, beyond my capabilities, beyond my knowledge. It worries me, that he could do this, that he has these resources at his disposal ..." Here Kikyou hesitated for a moment more, before continuing on.

"He has found a way to tap in to the spiritual powers that bind Inuyasha to the necklace he wears around his neck, placed there by my sister some time ago. He has somehow altered these magicks, bending them to his will, binding them to the will and feelings of the human girl who controls the necklace -- Kagome. As long as Kagome remains hateful of her friend, Inuyasha will slowly fade away in to death."


	5. Chapter 5

_Kagome glanced up at the sound of footsteps, smiling as Inuyasha came in to view. "Did you catch anything?" She asked, tilting her head to the side as she stared at the white-haired hanyou. She had run out of pre-packaged foodstuff from her own time a couple of days ago, and they had been reduced to eating whatever Inuyasha, and some times Mirouku and Sango, could catch._

_As Inuyasha simply continued to stand there, however, Kagome sighed softly, glancing back down at the berries she had been able to gather from the nearby woods. "Well, I guess we'll just have to eat this, then." She was unprepared, however, for the hanyou to suddenly appear behind her, hand gripping the back of her neck painfully._

_"Inuyasha!" She gasped out, quite ready to _sit_ him, when Inuyasha effortlessly picked her up, still holding tightly to the back of her neck, and easily flung her across the clearing, a cold smile crossing over his features._

_Sango was instantly on her feet, weapon drawn to give the hanyou a solid _bonk_ on the head, glaring heatedly at her half-demon friend. "What is wrong with you, you stipid mutt?"_

_Instead of growing angered by Sango's usage of the word mutt, however, as she had expected, Inuyasha merely turned his attention to the demon slayer, grinning ferally before reaching down, plucking the small form of Kirara off the ground where she had ventured near his feet. The small animal gave a small yelp of surprise, before he forcefully flung her at her owner, rushing at the demon slayer mere seconds later._

_A deep slash across her stomach incapacitated Sango easily, and Inuyasha once again turned his attention toward Kagome, who was only now climbing to her feet, wincing slightly in pain as she did so. At the sight of Inuyasha, standing over Sango's bleeding body, however, all pain was forgotten as she let out a loud, _"Sit Boy!"

_Inuyasha merely grinned, and for the first time, Kagome became aware of the absense of his necklace, making his neck look strange and empty. _

_The last time she had seen him without his necklace, he'd been trying to kill her then, as well. At least he was consistant._

_Blinking back the tears that sung her eyes, Kagome slowly backed up a step, watching as Inuyasha matched her every movement. Before she could manage to turn around and run, however, or even begin to entertain the thought of it, he was upon her, claws sinking deep into her arms as he grinned down at her shocked face._

_He really meant to kill her, didn't he?_

_Kagome screamed._


	6. Chapter 6

First of all, allow me to apologise for the long wait. I have been quite absorbed in my new job, as well as my harry potter fanfiction ad the revival of my website with a new domain name ( I will soon be bus re-modelling and organising another website (Unknown Brushes), so the next chapter will take a while to punch out. For more steady udpates, you might want to check out the Gaia Online community ( as I update there far faster, even if the chapters are shorter. You're sure to catch a chapter there before here, most times.

Also, on another note, I am very sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors. I have gone over this chapter bit by bt as I wrote it, stopping to fix any errors that I found, but I have no beta -- on the off-chance that I did get a beta, they would dissappear after the first couple of chapters -- sometimes they didn't even stick around long enough to beta one chapter! So, i've pretty much given up on the though/idea of having a beta. Hope that this doesn't piss anybody off too much - if anybody wants to volunteer, I would more than love to have a beta -- don't volunteer unless you can actually do this for future chapters, though!

But, onward with the story!

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-------- --------

_Kouga jerked in surprise, glancing up from his hunting to stare off in to the distance, ears perked. Kagome?_

_Crouching down low on all fours, Kouga sniffed at the ground, before jerking his head up and taking off at full speed, once again thanking the gods above for the jewel shards embedded within his legs, gifting him with unnatural speed -- even for a demon._

_It didn't take him long to reach the source of Kagome's cry -- he had been following her and the rest of her band for some time now, accompanied by several of his most trusted comrades -- Hikaku and Gina among them. They would just have to live without fresh meat tonight, however -- Kagome was far more important._

_----_

_Inuyasha growled softly as Kagome's scream rang in his ear, jerking his claws out of her arms to grip her neck painfully, her scream dieing in her throat with a halting gurgle. He smirked slightly at her pained expression, before bodily picking her up by her throat, thrilling in the expression of intense pain that had come over her face -- mixing with the blind fear of a person who knew that their death was upon them._

_Slipping his free hand down low, Inuyasha lay his clawed hand against her thigh smirking at the way her eyes widened in surprise. Under normal circumstances, Kagome would have instantly begun screaming at the halfdemon for taking such liberties with her. This time, however, she simply shrank back as far as she could against the ground, swallowing painfully against the tightness in her throat, aided in part by the hand gripping her throat painfully._

_Tearss treamed fully down her face now, and Inuyasha only grinned wider, fangs now showing as he snarled at her._

_She had never truly seen Inuyasha as scary before -- not really. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had known that he had once been just as bad as, if not worse then, his brother and perhaps even Naraku. But she had never been able to truly make herself believe it. Now she could. She coulld understand all too well._

_Inuyasha moved his hand from her thigh, to run his fingers through her hair, silky soft to his touch. An almost ... gentle look cameover his features now, as he murmured softly, "You look so much like her."_

_Kagome closed her eyes against the new flood of tears that threatened to overwhelm her now, only to snap them open once again as the pressure on her throat was suddenly released, to find Inuyasha sprawled out on his back several yards away, and Mirouku kneeling down beside her, a concerned look on his face._

_"Lady Kagome, are you alright?" At her shaky nod, Mirouku once again rose to his feet, turning toward the half-demon who was only now rising to his feet, face twisted in to an angry snarl. Mirouku straightened his body, hand moving over to grip at the beads decorating one of his hands, watching his friend warily._

_Inuyasha glanced between Kagome and Mirouku, slowly beginning to pace, never turning his back on the dark-haired monk. Mirouku simply held his ground, watching his friend's every movement._

_He never, in his wildest imagings, would have imaged himself in a position quite like this. Sango and Kirara out of commission, Shippou nowhere to be seen, and Kagome greivously wounded by none other than Inuyasha._

_Inuyasha smirked at the Monk's lack of movement, flexing his claws slightly -- the only warning of his impending attack. Mirouku barely escaped being immpaled on the sharp talons, instead comming out of the encounter with only a badly scratched arm, blood darkneing his robes. He was now out of the way, however, leaving Kagome unprotected._

_Inuyasha once again knelt beside the fallen miko, sirking at the way she shrank away from him in fear. "You're finially learning, bitch, aren't you? Finially learning fear ..." Inuyasha trained one claw along her cheek, before standing fullyto his feet and turning toward the now-wounded monk standing behind him._

_In a flash, he was beside the monk, twisting one of his arms behind his back, lest the wind tunnel be unleashed. "You and I need to have a little talk, Monk." He snarled, before yanking viciously on the monk's arm, the bone breaking easily, and forcing a cry from Mirouku's lips._

_His grin now turning feral, Inuyasha wrapped his other hand around the monk's throat, squeezing viciously to cut off the air supply of his victim. Mirouku gasped softly, frantically trying to draw in some much needed air, but to no avail.His free hand clawed at the arm now clutching his throat, trying frantically to find some way to break the hold Inuyasha now had on his throat._

_Inuyasha merely smirked, eyes narrowing as he ithgtened his hold on the monk's fragile throat ... _

---- ----

Inuyasha jerked awake wit a s small gasp, hands flying to his throat in a vain attempt to slow his rapid heartbeat. nHis breath came in grat, shallow gasps, his entire body shaking like a leaf.

Sumbling from his bed, he barely stopped himself from rushing in to Sesshomaru's bed chambers, silently cursing himself for showing so much weakness as of late. He was better th ant his -- he could handle more than he had been showing to his older brother.

This was why he had left in the first place -- to show the world, and most importantly his older brother, that he could stand on his own two feet, that he didn't need to be coddled and kept safe all the days of his life. And he had succeeded, if only for a little while.

Collasping back on to the soft plushness of his bed, Inuyasha let out a heavy sight, fingering the rumpled coverlet beneath him.

It was odd, how quickly he had gotten used to this once again, being surrounded by somuch finery. He had thought that it would take him some time, after living so long off the land, forced to catch his own food, mend his own clothes ... or just steal from defenseless villiagers. He'd done plenty of that, in the years before meeting Kikyou, and then Kagome.

Wincing slightly as his thoughts once again came around full circle to the petite girl from the future, Inuyasha pushed himself back up into a sitting position, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he stared blankly at the wall as the moments ticked by.

Why, exactly, was he acting like this? Like he was some sort of invalid who couldn't take care of himself, let alone protect the ones he loved? This wasn't like him, wasn't like the man he ahd become ... But it was like the boy he had once been, the boy Sesshomaru had known him as.

Heaving a heavy sigh of frustration, Inuyasha forced himself once again to climb to his feet, wandering over to one of the high, fanficul windows that adorned his room, floor length with lacy curtains doing nothing to hide the view of the outside world.

Several corridors away, through many layers of solid wood and enchantments, Sesshomaru awoke with a start, eyes flying open as he listened for what coul dhave possibly awoken him.

He could hear, even from this distance, Inuyasha's restless footsteps, the heavy sigh that fell from the half-demon's lips every now and again. Sesshomaru, himself, heaved a frustrated sigh, as he rolled over on to his side, a look of consternation crossing his chisled features.

He was never going to get any sleep, if Inuyasha kept up at this rate.

He was at the door before he ven realised he had made the decision to move, striding purposefully in the direction of Inuyasha's room. He forced his footsteps to slow to a halt, however, leaning heavily against the wall to his left as he stared down the dark corridor. Should he really go running every time something seemed wrong with Inuyasha? It was what he had always done in the past, but ...

Decision made, Sesshomaru forced himself to turn on his heel, heading back to his own room and activating the enchantments that had lain dormaint in his room for some time now. This wasn't the last time his half-brother had stayed awake well into the night time hours, after all, through all the years they had lived under the same roof -- and he had made sure to take precuations against losing sleep himself, all those years ago. It had simply been a long time since he'd had need of those enchantments.

----

Kagome kicked at a rock on the side of the road, scowling darkly down at the cast that now held her broken arm in place, lips pressed firmly togeather.

The bone hadn't been set properly at first, and the hospital staff had had a hell of a time trying to get it to heal properly, muttering all the while about makeshift casts being the end of them. You'd think it was the end of the world, they way they kept going on and on about it.

But no, it wasn't the cast itself that was bothering her at the moment, or even the fact that her arm was broken in several places. It was the events that had led up to this injury that truly angered her. Truly made her want to break something. Preferably a certain white-haired half-demon's neck.

Naraiku had screwed with their lives before, and Kagome had known that there was a chance that it was him, not Inuyasha, that had attacked her. Certaintly it hadn't been Inuyasha in one of his full-demon phases -- after all, his eyes had not been red, nor had he acted like some kind of wild animal, out for any blood he could get his hands on. No, her attacker had been fully aware of what they were doing, and had had the presense of mind to realise that it was wrong, that it was evil, bad, whatever adjective you wanted to use for it.

But she hadn't truly believed that it was Inuyasha, especially when his rosary necklace seemed to be missing. After all, she was the only one who would remove th at, wasn't she?

But her hopes and dreams had been smashed so easily, that night ...

---- ----

_Kouga gaped open-mouthed at the scene that met his eyes, widening slightly as he saw the broken body of his lady love on the ground, wimpering softly in pain. The smell of heat and pain filled his nostrils, of Kagome's fear and Inuyasha's excitement, and he did the only thing he could think of. He attacked._

_Really, there was nothing else he could have done, even if he had been thinking rationally. The damn half-breed had dared to touch HIS Kagome. This called for viiolence._

_What shocked him most of all, however, as he loosed a gutteral scream of rage and charged at the half-demon, was the way Inuyasha didn't even turn toward him, didn't react to his presense at all. It was almost as if the half-demon hadn't heard him, didn't have ny idea that he was even there._

_It was only as his claws sunk in to the half-demon's arms that Inuyasha finially seemed to notice his presense, roaring in pain as he made a mad swipe at the wolf-demon. Kouga easily dodged the attack, however, noticing for the first time the lack of Inuyasha's sword, either on his person or anywhere in the general vicinity._

_And then the smell hit him -- the heat, and the blood, and the underlying enchantment, faint as it was. As a demon, Kouga could smell things that normal humans could not -- fear, anger, nearly every other emotion imaginable. And he could detect even the smallest of changes to a person's scent, especially if that person had human blood pumping through their veings. And he most definately smelt something different about Inuyasha. Something was ... off._

_However, as much as he seemed to be oblivious to his surroundings, he seemed accutely aware of Kagome's every move, as he snarled angrily in her direction as she attempted to shirt back, farther away from him in a vain attempt to escape. That sound, however, stopped her in tracks with a soft gasp, and she stilled where she was, a frightened whimper escaping her lips._

_Kouga could only growl softly at such a weak sound comming the woman he loved -- a woman who was usually so strong, so though, even for a demon. It was her strength that had drawn him to her, and that strength was quickly becomming oblitterated by the half-demon who had dared to touch her in anger._

_Flexing his claws in anticipation, Kouga watched in confusion as Inuyasha turned back to the monk he held captive, seeming to have completely forgotten about the other demon's presense. Cautiously taking a step closer, Kouga sniffed experimentally at the air around the half-demon, once again comming away feeling slightly dizzy and hot, as if a great wave of heat had suddenly passed over him._

_What the hell?_

_Kouga warily circle the half-demon, his confusion growing as Inuyasha made no reaction to hs movements, even when he was directly in front of his rival._

_In the background, Kagome swallowed, throat burning with unshed tears as she stared at the white-haire Hanyou she had called friend, wishing fervantly that she could believe this to be sme ploy of Naraku's. Wishing with all her might that this was another disguise of Naraku's, meant to pit her and the others against the white-haired hanyou._

_But this wasn't Naraku -- her Milo powers, faint as they were compared to Kikyou -- told her that much. This was really and truly Inuyasha._

_Struggling to her feet from whee she had fallen to the ground, Kagome took another hesitant step away from the half-demon, only to stop stone cold as the growl that was now emnating frm Inuyasha' chest, watching as his shoulders tensed and his body made a sort of half-turn toward her, but without taking his eyes off of Mirouku._

_Kagome instantly stilled, her eyes moving over to where Kouga had stilled his wanderings, and was not staring at Inuyasha in confusion. She could understand -- the half-demon's actions were confusing to her, as well. It was almost as if he didn't know that Kouga was there._

_But that was impossible, wan't it? Kouga had already tried attacking him once, a d he had certiantly reacted to that attack. But it was as if Koug awere invisible to him, as long as the other demon didn't touch him._

_Throat burning, Kagome slowly allowed herself to sink dwn to the ground, hand reaching out behind her to the backpack that she knew to be very close by, now -- Inuyasha had been careless with where he allowed her to rest, soclose to her only real weaon -- her bow._

_Inuyasha made no move to stop her hand seemingly oblivious to the threat her weaon could produce, even to afully-fledge demon. w\With her bow and arrow, she had even posed a threat to Sesshomaru, the formidable demon that he was. She could certaintly deal some damage to his weaker half-brother._

_She didn't feel guilty, thiking of Inuyasha as weaker than their opponents. Not anymore. Before, she had always felt so guilty thinking something like that, especially since Inuyasha put so much stock in physical strength, in being stronger than those around him ... in provinghimself._

_Now Inuyasha could burl in Hell for all she cared._

_Eyes burning with unshed tears, Kagome drew back the bow, and fired._


End file.
